Bill > A4114

Introduced Session

This bill directs the Department of Health (DOH) to establish an animal abuser registry, provides a process by which persons who have previously been convicted and persons who are newly convicted of a criminal animal cruelty violation are to be included on the animal abuser registry, and updates current law concerning persons ineligible to be an animal control officer due to a conviction for an animal cruelty violation. The bill is to take effect on January 1 next following enactment. Under the bill, the DOH is required to establish the animal abuser registry and publish the registry on its website. For the purpose of establishing the animal abuser registry, the bill requires the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department of Law and Public Safety, and any other governmental or other official administrative entity maintaining records of criminal animal cruelty convictions to provide notice to the Commissioner of Health (Commissioner) of any person who has been convicted in the last 10 years of a criminal animal cruelty violation. The bill requires this notice to be provided to the commissioner electronically or in writing, within 90 days after the effective date of the bill. For the purpose of maintaining the animal abuser registry, the bill requires a court adjudging the guilt for a criminal animal cruelty violation to charge the prosecutor or other appropriate person, with the responsibility to notify the commissioner with the full name of the person convicted of the criminal animal cruelty violation and the criminal animal cruelty violation for which or of which that person was found guilty. The bill requires the person charged with the responsibility to provide notice to the commissioner within 30 days. The bill expands the criminal violations related to animal abuse that disqualify an individual from serving as a certified animal control officer, and permits the commissioner to use the animal abuser registry to maintain a list of persons ineligible to be animal control officers due to a conviction for animal cruelty. The bill prohibits a person found guilty of, or liable for, a violation of the State animal cruelty laws from owning, keeping, or harboring an animal. The bill prohibits a convicted person from licensing or registering a dog or cat. The bill requires kennels, pet shops, shelters, pounds, and animal rescue organizations to consult the animal abuser registry to see if a person seeking to purchase or acquire an animal is on the registry, and not to sell or transfer an animal to any person on the registry. The bill also provides for the seizure and confiscation of animals from people convicted of, or liable for, a violation of the animal cruelty laws.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Daniel Benson (D)*,  Carol Murphy (D)*,  Gordon Johnson (D),  Greg McGuckin (R),  David Wolfe (R), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (on 06/07/2018)